Trying to exercise when pregnant

I don’t think anything can prepare you for the amount of energy you lose when you become pregnant. I know so many people who’ve had kids… why didn’t they tell me?! Maybe it’s just me.

There I was, about three days pregnant and feeling absolutely knackered.

I’d finish work, drive home, have dinner (which hopefully the husband had prepared), fall on the sofa and remain there for several hours… wondering if this is my life for the next nine months.

You might be thinking that is no different to any other non-pregnant woman, but feeling this lethargic was just not me.

Although our baby is planned, I didn’t read any books or websites until I found out I was pregnant. So I go online and discover that this is an actual thing, the tiredness.

A few websites told me this was normal in the first trimester and some gentle exercise would help overcome it, but how can you do gentle exercise when you can’t event be bothered to get off the sofa?!

How could this tiny thing that’s the size of a chickpea take so much from me so quickly?

I’ve always been active. From the age of three I was dancing, and when I stopped dancing in my late teens I started the gym. Now don’t get me wrong, i’m not a gym freak who has lost the ability to have a social life, but I like to keep fit and healthy, and the past few years have been running more than anything.

So I made the decision to have an active pregnancy; it helps you deal with the labour apparently… which is all I needed to hear, as the thought of the L-word freaks me out just a bit!

Now, when i’m training for a run and i’m really in the zone I can achieve around 5:15 to 5:30 mins/km. I prefer to run a 5km or 10km, so i’m not looking at pulling off a marathon anytime soon, but I still like to compare my times to see if my speed is improving.

So there I go, out for my first run at eight weeks pregnant, thinking i’ll go for a cheeky 5km, and I what do I get? 2.99km!!! At 6:03 mins/km.

I was devastated… how could I be so slow! My energy levels were simply non-existent. I didn’t have any speed whatsoever, and actually walked for some of it.

I thought maybe it’s just a fluke, a bad day… I can do this. So nine days later I headed out again, determined.

2.77km later and I gave up, gutted.

Currently in my second trimester, at 23 weeks, i’ve decided it’s time for me to stick to walking… if I can tear myself from the sofa for long enough!